This is our O-tel (say it with a French accent, for it is Philly’s only French O-tel), the Sofitel Philadelphia. I get mocking rights since the pop-in-law-to-be is French and will soon be family!
Located in the heart of the city, the Sofitel is the cornerstone of the new French Quarter, just steps from Rittenhouse Square. The former Philadelphia Stock Exchange Building, this hotel infuses French flavor with American style. Many of the staff are French, as is the cuisine in the hotel’s full-service restaurant, Chez Colette. With 300 rooms of unusually large proportions, averaging 400 square feet, it markets itself as a 4½ star hotel. Amenities include large desks, three phones in each room, high-speed Internet access and French chocolates on the pillow nightly (um, count me in).
Unforrrrrrrrrtunately, the hotel is having a conference the weekend of our wedding, so the option of blocking rooms for our guests is unavailable, but I plan to warn out-of-towners in advance so they don’t end up having to dish out $300 to stay a million miles from us. The rates are about $200/night, which is still cheaper than most neighboring hotels with the discounted rates, PLUS this o-tel is totally our “style” and is rated the #1 hotel in Philadelphia on tripadvisor.com.
We will be staying in the Superior Room (king size) for four nights, which will include: two armchairs, landline high speed as well as wireless Internet (with a surcharge), a marble bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower and a separate bathtub.
Since we’re not taking our honeymoon until May of 2009, we decided to spoil ourselves during the week of the wedding by rooming there for four nights. I’ll be staying there by my lonesome on the eve of our wedding, since Mr. Candy Corn enjoys that whole not-seeing-the-bride-the-night-before tradition. I suppose I’ll have Betty White with me though, since the hotel allows dogs

Betty White is not looking forward to being my #1 bachelorette. (She knows this will result in her posing for photos in hideous puppy clothes from the $1 bin at Target.)
Is anyone else sharing the bed with your most beloved pet on the evening before the wedding? You better believe I’d bring our bunnies and chinchillas to the hotel if they’d let me!Cue the obligatory pet photo!!

From left to right: Ethel Funk, Maude and Willie Nelson.
The Sofitel in DC is one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at. I think you’ll love your stay!!
And our wedding night hotel DID allow dogs … so it was all I could do to keep Mr T from bringing Zoe along for the night. As much as I love her, I wanted to spend at least our wedding night sleeping in without the “Sheltie alarm” waking us for a walk in the a.m.!